Six foot deep sinkhole in Gerrards Cross garden

A SINKHOLE in the garden of a home in Gerrards Cross was six foot deep and was only discovered when a family noticed a slight dip in the ground.

The sinkhole was discovered in November last year after the family started to feel the ground was “soft” underneath their feet.

Emma Baker who lives on Austenwood Lane, in Gerrards Cross, said: “It is quite concerning, it was near my washing line. If I had fallen in I don’t think I would have got out.”

The hole has since been filled although two weeks after that, it sunk again by a foot and in the last week it has started to dip again.

Mrs Baker, whose two daughters play in the garden, said: “In the middle of November we became aware of the dip so our gardener stuck a metal pole down and realised it was completely loose.

“The grass was about a depth of 30cm and below that there was a five foot drop.”

She added: “It was completely circular as if someone had done it with a pastry cutter. We didn’t know why it was there, it wasn’t deep enough to be a well and it was too round to be a hole for a tree.”

Although the garden is about 300 foot long, the hole was only about 30 feet away from the house, and according to Mrs Baker the council have told her that it could have been forming for a hundred years.

Mrs Baker has since had concerns that a hole could pop-up somewhere else in her garden, although that hasn't stopped her two children, Tallulah, 11, and Xanthe, 9, playing.

She said: “It’s quite worrying; your first thought is that the children were out there playing.”

Mrs Baker added: “The council have told me that it is could happen anywhere, it is just as likely to happen again as it is for it to happen next door, or miles away.”